Committee of the Whole (Working Session) Report

DATE: Wednesday, March 2, 2022 WARD(S): ALL

TITLE: MOVESMART MOBILITY MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ANNUAL

PROGRESS REPORT

FROM:
Zoran Postic, Deputy City Manager, Public Works

ACTION: FOR INFORMATION

Purpose
To provide an annual update on the progress of the five-year MoveSmart Mobility
Management Strategy highlighting achievements in support of Council’s commitment to
provide a transportation system that is safe, more efficient, and sustainable.

Report Highlights
 On March 10, 2021, Council endorsed the five-year MoveSmart Mobility
Management Strategy (MoveSmart Strategy).
 Road safety, active and sustainable travel, and effective traffic management
remain a top priority as Vaughan continues to experience significant growth.
 Fourteen out of the twenty-nine MoveSmart Strategy initiatives have
started, or are ready to start, in 2022 with two specific initiatives brought
forward from future years that include the Road Safety Strategic Plan and
the Intelligent Transportation System Strategy.

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 Report Highlights continued
 Progress has been made within all four programs of the MoveSmart Strategy.
Piloting new traffic calming measures within existing school zones, the rollout
of the City’s Slow Down lawn sign campaign, the implementation of a new
speed limit policy, the acquisition of a Traffic Data Management System and
the use of smart technology enhancements to both the streetlights and traffic
signals network are some of the more notable accomplishments.
 Building partnerships with stakeholders and raising public awareness continue
to be integrated into this strategy with a key focus on building a road safety
culture based on shared values and responsibilities.

Recommendations
1. That the MoveSmart Strategy Annual Report, as outlined in Attachment 1, be
received; and
2. That the City Clerk forward a copy of this report to York Region, York Region’s
Local Municipalities, York Regional Police, York Region District School Board,
York Region Catholic School Board, Metrolinx, and the Ministry of Transportation.

Background
On March 10, 2021, Council endorsed the MoveSmart Strategy that set the
direction and priorities for the next five years; to create a progressive and holistic
traffic management and mobility plan for all road users.

With significant population and employment growth expected within the next ten years,
the road network throughout the City of Vaughan continues to expand and the number
of daily trips made in and out of the City is expected to increase. This creates many
operational challenges on the City’s road network including increased congestion and
potentially more conflicts between vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians. Despite these
challenges, a high level of safety is expected from Vaughan’s citizens.

Road safety, maximizing existing road capacity, and providing alternative active
and sustainable transportation modes continue to be the City’s top priorities.

In response to the substantial growth on the road network and guided by extensive input
from key stakeholders and feedback from the public, staff developed the MoveSmart
Strategy to direct the development of operational policies, allocate resources and
establish priorities. Since the adoption of the Strategy, staff organized the City’s mobility
related services into the four highly integrated programs; road safety, mobility
management, sustainable mobility and traffic data management. For more information
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on these programs, please refer to Attachment 1, page 8 of the 2022 Annual Report -
MoveSmart Mobility Management Strategy.

The Strategy is designed to routinely adapt to the needs of the City’s transportation
network. It will also be updated every five years (in parallel with the Transportation
Master Plan) to reflect changes in growth, the availability of new technologies and to
align with the City’s term of Council priorities.

Previous Reports/Authority
MoveSmart – Mobility Management Strategy, Extract from Council meeting of March 10,
2021 (Item 1, Report No. 10 of the Committee of the Whole (Working Session)):
filestream.ashx (escribemeetings.com)

Establishing Speed Limits on City Roadways, Extract from Council meeting of June 22,
2021 (Item 1, Report No. 31 of the Committee of the Whole (Working Session)):
https://pub-vaughan.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=78914

School Crossing Guard Program Review, Extract from Council meeting of November
17, 2020 (Item 2, Report No. 53 of the Committee of the Whole (Working Session)):
filestream.ashx (escribemeetings.com)

School Crossing Guard Policy, Extract from Council meeting of November 17, 2020
(Item 3, Report No. 53 of the Committee of the Whole (Working Session)):
filestream.ashx (escribemeetings.com)

Vaughan Official Plan 2010:

https://www.vaughan.ca/projects/policy_planning_projects/official_planning_2010/Pages
/default.aspx

Green Directions:
https://www.vaughan.ca/cityhall/environmental_sustainability/GreenDirections/Pages/Gr
een-Directions-Vaughan.aspx

Pedestrian and Cycling Master Plan:

https://www.vaughan.ca/projects/projects_and_studies/pedestrian_master_plan/Pages/
default.aspx

Active Travel Charter for Canadian Children and Youth, Extract from Council meeting of
March 19, 2013 (Item 8, Report No. 9 of the Committee of the Whole):
https://www.vaughan.ca/council/minutes_agendas/AgendaItems/CW0226_13_8.pdf

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Analysis and Options
Progress has been made in all four MoveSmart Strategy programs.

Going into 2022 the MoveSmart Strategy is proving highly effective at achieving its
aspirational goal; to provide consistent, reliable, and safer streets for all road users.
The four MoveSmart programs encompass twenty-nine initiatives, fourteen of which
have commenced or are ready to commence.

Three staff have been added to help develop and manage the foundations of the
Strategy. Additional staffing resources are required over the next four years to continue
to implement, manage and operate the various initiatives within the strategy.

Some of the more notable achievements to date include piloting new traffic calming
measures within existing school zones, the rollout of the City’s Slow Down lawn sign
campaign, the implementation of a new speed limit policy, the acquisition of a traffic
data management system and smart technology enhancements to the streetlight
system and upgrade to the traffic signals network.

A comprehensive list of achievements from the first year of the MoveSmart Strategy and
key planned initiatives are contained in Attachment 1, pages 12 to 23 of the 2022
Annual Report - MoveSmart Mobility Management Strategy.

Building partnerships with stakeholders, public engagement and public

awareness initiatives continue to be instrumental components of the MoveSmart
strategy, with a focus on safer transportation mobility options for vulnerable road
users.

The City continues to leverage partnerships with both internal and external stakeholders
to help foster shared values and responsibilities when it comes to road safety.
Collaboration to help raise awareness, enable communications, and share road safety
information is key in building a road safety culture.

Key public awareness initiatives achieved and planned under the MoveSmart Strategy
are contained in Attachment 1, page 24 of the 2022 Annual Report - MoveSmart
Mobility Management Strategy.

Over the next few years, MoveSmart will continue to guide the City in achieving the
vision of providing a transportation system that is more safe, efficient and sustainable.
To realize this vision, the MoveSmart Strategy will endorse road safety procedures that
identify locations with the highest potential to improve safety and bring together
stakeholders to integrate programs and safety knowledge to improve the City’s roads
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and trail systems. The strategy will continue to focus on managing congestion and
optimizing the existing road network. With the newly acquired traffic data management
system, the City will be able to make evidence-based decisions and assess the
effectiveness of new policies and changes on the roadways.

Financial Impact
There are no financial impacts associated with this report.
Cost estimates for the various initiatives continue to be further refined as projects are
implemented and additional funding will be requested through the annual budget
process. Staff will continue to explore opportunities, partnerships, and alternative
funding sources to help support the strategy implementation.

Broader Regional Impacts/Considerations

Since the City’s transportation system is integrated with the Regional road network and
adjacent to those of other local municipalities, it is critical that the MoveSmart Strategy
is implemented in coordination with these other key stakeholders. Staff have begun to
engage with the Regional Municipality of York by sharing data through its traffic data
management system and are also pursuing a collaborative partnership in the
development of a Road Safety Strategic Plan. Furthermore, York Regional Police, York
Region School Boards, York Region Public Health, along with other City Departments
continue to play a vital role in the MoveSmart Strategy with a focus on stakeholder
engagement and public awareness initiatives within the four MoveSmart Strategy
programs.

Conclusion
Since the endorsement of the MoveSmart Strategy in March 2021, progress has been
made or is ready to commence on fourteen of the twenty-nine initiatives.

Building partnerships and collaboration with key stakeholders continue to be a key focus
to help raise awareness, enable communication, and share information in building a
road safety culture focused on safety, mobility, sustainability, and data. As the programs
in the strategy continue to be implemented, the vision of a safer, more efficient, and
sustainable transportation system is being realized.

Staff recommend that Committee receive this first annual MoveSmart Strategy report
and presentation outlining the achievements to date as information.

For more information, please contact:

Peter Pilateris, Director Transportation and Fleet Management Services ext. 6141

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Attachments
1. 2022 Annual Report MoveSmart Mobility Management Strategy, March 2, 2022

Prepared by
Margie Chung, Manager of Traffic Engineering, 6173
Brenda Bisceglia, Acting Manager MoveSmart, 6144

Approved by Reviewed by

Zoran Postic Nick Spensieri

Deputy City Manager City Manager
Public Works

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